This really bothered me when I came across it last night. Made me put the guy on hold long enough to read and post that. What amazes me is the willingness of most Amerikans to IGNORE the effects of our occupation of Iraq; to bury their heads deep in the sand while Bush threatens our allies, forms dummy coalitions, and uses his office to carry out personal vendettas ("Papa, can you hear me?") and push us ever closer to the brink. I mean, the man threatened to bomb The Hague and no one said anything here. Hey, long as our petty needs are met, we just don't care about anyone or anything else. Murder is simply business as usual. God bless Amerika! ^^

Amnesty International: US Soldiers Parade Naked Prisoners Through Baghdad Streets
by US Has No Shame Friday, May. 02, 2003 at 12:16 AM

LONDON - Amnesty International said it was disturbed by a Norwegian newspaper report that included a photo purportedly showing U.S. soldiers escorting three naked Iraqi men through a Baghdad park.

(photo)

The U.S. Central Command said Saturday it is looking into the report.

In its report Friday, Oslo-based Dagbladet newspaper said four Iraqi men were detained by soldiers early Thursday after entering a park where weapons were being stored. It said the men were then stripped and paraded through the park before being pushed onto a street.

The story featured three photographs, including one showing a man with the words "Ali Baba - thief" scrawled in Arabic on his chest. The phrase is a reference to the classic tale "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves."

One picture showed three naked men in the park with soldiers walking behind them. The soldiers were in a shaded area and it was not possible to clearly see their uniforms.

"If these pictures are accurate, this is an appalling way to treat prisoners," London-based Amnesty International said in a statement. "Such degrading treatment is a clear violation of the responsibilities of the occupying powers."

A Central Command spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. military was looking into the report.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles Owens of the Central Command said he couldn't confirm the report, but if true, the soldiers would be disciplined.

"If they are under our custody, any public display goes against the Geneva Conventions. It's just not something we would do," he said. "That goes against everything we stand for and have been preaching against since day one."

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong, and those are the ones that change your life."